Smatterings

  • the Gathering

    Time to gather myself together.  I’m on the move again.  The Gathering is this weekend.  Like a very mini SOAR, the Gathering is about classes and the sharing of ideas.  It’s a biannual get together sponsered by the Northeast Handspinners Association.  Every other year a different New England state acts as host.  This year the Gathering is in New Hampshire.  Last summer, for some reason, I didn’t seem to think that there were many spinning classes offered this year.  The other night when I re read the offerings, I was surprised I hadn’t chosen any.  They looked pretty interesting to me.  But, you can’t have too many skills.  I’m signed up to learn some new ones. 

    How about Bosnian Crochet with Deborah Pulliam?  Oh, come on.. get over this "C" word thing.   The class description says that we’ll spend the morning looking at objects in the technique, exploring a rare breed wool, and spinning a suitable yarn for the afternoon’s work with the specific technique. 

    Sunday, I’m taking Amy Oxford’s class: Punch Needle Rug Hooking for Handspinners.  Not the cut wool, but handspun.  I’m getting some Lincoln spun and dyed with this in mind.

    Hopefully, I’ll end up with a few more tools in my belt and a lot of new ideas.   There IS the part about spending another weekend in the company of fiber folk.  😉

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    16 responses to “the Gathering”

    1. Theresa

      Enjoy a beautiful weekend in great company!

    2. Carole

      Have a wonderful time, you rock stacker, you.

    3. KIM

      I wish I had known sooner about the gathering and could have attended. It sounds like a fun time!

    4. Manise

      Lucky you. Have lots of fun. Looking to seeing what you’ve learned.

    5. Linda

      Wish I could go. Today is the Tinsel Time Luncheon–the big event Mom’s garden club holds every year. I will be there today.

    6. Carrie

      Ha ha! It’s not that crochet is a problem, necessarily, it’s just that the things I’ve made look so much, um, less elegant? (I think it’s because they’re usually so much bulkier than knits.) Anyway, I will be interested to see if the Bosnians have a new twist on crochet.
      Have a good time! I wish I could join you.

    7. Laurie

      *envy* Have a wonderful time!

    8. Anne

      Your rock picture makes me laugh. We always call out “Rock stackers!” when we are riding on the trail. Those things bother the horses to no end – it looks natural, but it’s unnatural – and they do NOT like that. Most of the time, they will snort and dance around the rock piles. Interesting, eh?

    9. Cathy

      Ohhhh… have a great time. I think DP is a wonderful encourager. I admire her.
      I think so many people who don’t like to crochet use too big of yarn.

    10. margene

      You have a very interesting weekend ahead!

    11. Carol

      Have a great time! You’ll not hear me complain about crochet. Love the rock art!

    12. Dorothy B

      Sounds like fun. Hope you have a great time.

    13. Cheryl

      Have a wonderful time! And let us know how the classes are. I’m hoping to make the next one.

    14. claudia

      I actually have a punch needle and (I think) Amy’s book too. Never done anything with it.

    15. Kathy

      Have fun!!

    16. cyndy

      Hope you are having a wonderful time, and learning lots! Love the toad below- I was going to leave a comment down there, but didn’t want to jinx it…(you have (lucky) 13 comments)

  • point of view

    A funny thing happened the other day, Halloween to be exact.  Here, in my house, if the gutters need to be cleaned, I am the gutter guy.  There is something about climbing onto the roof that I find terribly appealing.  Perhaps its the change in my point of view.  In every house I’ve lived in, except one and that needs to be rectified, I have spent time sitting up on the roof.  That morning, during my second cup of coffee, I heard C start up the leaf blower.  It was time to climb.  The two chores go together. The gutters were full of leaves and leaf muck.  I’m scooping and tossing the stuff to the ground (a couple of floors down) when I encounter this lump that just doesn’t want to come out of the gutter.  It was a bit yucky and I’d neglected to bring my rubber gloves.  Oh well, I was up there, best get on with the job.

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    I try again. Finally I look down in and what do I find???  This poor little fellow…  um.. yuck…

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    For him (or her) I needed a glove. Really.  After all, I’d only had TWO cups of coffee.  Not nearly enough to handle this slimy guy. And, I’d need a container to put him into to carry him safely to the ground.  (.. and of course, I wanted my camera, how many of you were gifted a frog (toad?) first thing in the morning on Halloween..?)  He was squirming.  Down I went.  I was afraid if I took to long, he’d jump, little fellow.  The story ends well. 

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    I figured I was pretty lucky to find him on Halloween.   

    But on a fibery note, check out the colors… my favorites, brown and black together…  and a great nubbly texture.  You can think warty (if you are the half empty sort), but it’s much better if you think NUBBLY, trust me on this.

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    13 responses to “point of view”

    1. Manise

      Holy cow! What an unexpectedly beautiful find! What the heck was he doing in your gutter that high up? Did he climb up the down spout? Nice job transporting him/ her to safety without falling of the ladder in the process. For a moment I thought you were going to show us a tutorial on the merits of Turkish spindling from the roof top. Hehe.

    2. Dorothy B

      My Mr. hates heights so I am the gutter cleaner as well. I would have needed gloves too. He’s pretty uh, nubbly.
      Frogs are usually green with or without markings and toads are every other colour.

    3. Carrie

      I wonder how he got up there in the first place! He’s probably happy to be on the ground again.

    4. Carole

      The frog has nupps. What a great way to look at a rather, err, unpleasant experience.

    5. CindyCindy

      What a beautiful little toad. I wonder if it’s some kind of tree toad. I love the colors, but I don’t think I could have picked him up without gloves either. I don’t mind worms and such, but frogs and toads are a different thing altogether(in many ways). Having done the gutter cleaning chore for many many years, only you could find something beautiful in a disgusting gutter.

    6. Wendy

      He’s gorgeous! And in my favorite colorway, too. 🙂

    7. Carol

      Seems like some little froggy gave a knitter some inspiration! LOL-You didn’t have your rubber gloves on, but you had your camera? On the roof? LOL I too like the roof. I’m the Christmas light installer.I’m generally afraid of heights, but when I have lights to install, nothing can stop me. Never found a frog though.

    8. Diane

      Lucky toad, you saved him from a winter freeze. *

    9. Norma

      How in the heck did he get up there? Could he have been dropped by a bird? But he looks intact…weird, huh?
      I don’t have any problem handling toads or frogs….I’m amazed you do!

    10. Kim

      What a perfect blend of neutrals and texture….who would ever connect that description with a toad…haha!
      How the heck did he get up there I wonder?

    11. Laurie

      Not cute, but definitely cool. In a gutter. How the HELL did he get up there?

    12. Annie

      How the heck did that little guy get up there is my question. I have two of him on my kitchen counter… dear son got tadpoles and they’ve yet to turn into frogs. They have legs though. Then what?

    13. Paula

      Oh, I adore toads! What a sweet fella. Glad you saved him from the gutter. Some toads have sticky feet and are able to climb. I love their pretty black and gold eyes. Seriously. When my kids find toads in the yard, they always bring them in to show me and we play with them for a few minutes before releasing them in the woods again. Some of the happiest times in my childhood revolved around finding toads in the summer.

  • walk with me wednesday

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    The months of strong, bright colors have faded away.  This is the time before the grey days.  Although the colors are muted the light is not.  In the woods, now leafless, the shadows draw long dark lines across my path and sketch patterns, not unlike pen and ink drawings, on the rocks and trees.  The light in the afternoon blinds me.  I consider wearing a hat to shade my eyes.

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    I see the colors I’m spinning and I wonder which came first.  Were my choices influenced by the season or do I see what has become familiar. 


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    Helped by the strong light and shadow, texture becomes what color was.
    What better inspiration for fiberly pursuits.

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    7 responses to “walk with me wednesday”

    1. cyndy

      Beautiful photos, genuine observations…
      “What better inspiration for fiberly pursuits”…I could not agree with you more.

    2. Laurie

      That is so true about texture.

    3. Kim

      Wow……you were up and out early today! Beautiful pictures as always. As much as I love the brilliant fall colors, I love these neutral shades of pre winter as well 🙂

    4. Carol

      No wonder you make such nice things! Thanks for the lovely walk, just beautiful!

    5. margene

      Nature is full of beauty even when it sleeps.

    6. Carole

      It’s hard to know where inspiration comes from. I do think the seasons affect us greatly, though.

    7. Malia

      Your yarns are so beautiful. It’s obvious why with such inspiration surrounding you.

“Our lives are dyed the colors of our imagination.” ~ Marcus Aurelius

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